Page 155 of How to Flirt with a Witch

Adrenaline spikes, and I clenchmy fists, ready to fight.

Fiona stands in the doorway with her chest heaving and her palms up. She’s even filthier than before, and there’s a wild, furious look in her eye.

“Fiona,” Natalie says, her words clipped with urgency, “the Madsens only needoneinstance of bio magic in order to put the whole world in danger.”

“And your answer is to set it all free?” she snarls. “To release magic that’s taken generations to contain?”

“It’s better free than in the wrong hands,” I say.

“Don’t you dare talk about magic like you understand it,” Fiona snaps. “The last thing I’m going to do is let some outsider make the biggest mistake CSAMM has ever—”

“Enough, Fiona,” Natalie barks, her voice cracking like a whip. “Katie isn’tsome outsider, and she’s got a point. The Madsens will never be able to capture it if it’s feral.”

Fiona’s eyes bulge, her mouth hanging open. Natalie has probably never taken such a harsh tone with her, and the tension between them grows thick.

Something squeezes in my chest. Natalie is really going against Fiona and her oath as she stands at my side.

“Fiona, listen,” she says, softening. “Between Sophia and Oaklyn, they have enough power to steal any of the magic in here. By holding it in cages, we’re as good as handing it to them.”

Fiona scoffs. “And what’ll they do once they have it? They don’t know the ritual.”

“They’ve—” I start, then hesitate. This isn’t how I wanted to share what Freddie told me, but I have to. “They’ve captured Natalie’s dad. That’s how they’ve been getting information about curses, and that’s how they got earth magic. It’s possible they’ll torture him for instructions on how to embody bio magic—or that they’ve done so already.”

Natalie stumbles backward as if punched. “Wh-what? No. I just texted him yesterday!”

My heart aches for her. Hot tears prickle in my eyes, and I blink, forcing them back. “You’ve been texting Freddie,” I say, barely a whisper. “He told me before he died.”

Natalie’s chest heaves, her expression twisting with rage. She looks past me, her eyes distant, vacant. “I’ll kill them both.”

“And in the meantime…” Fiona lifts her chin, her palms steady in front of her. “All four of you have five seconds to get out of this room.”

“Fiona—” Natalie starts.

“Now!” she barks, her shout carrying strangely through the dimly lit room. “And you can be sure you’ll all face suspension after this. Never have I seen such an oath violation—”

“Would you shut up about the oath for once?” Natalie shouts, stepping forward. “My dad is being held captive. Will isdead.All because someone wanted the magic in this room so badly that they were willing to kill for it. If we don’t get rid of what’s in here, any one of us could be next.”

“What’s in hereis a century of scouring the earth—”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Millie growls from the depths of the room, and a flaming torch rips off the wall and hurtles toward Fiona.

Fiona screeches and ducks, the torch soaring past her and out into the corridor, where it clatters to the floor and extinguishes. There’s a split second where she seems to process the attack, and then her face contorts with rage. She raises the broken door handle off the floor and fires it back at Millie.

Sebastian swipes the air, stopping it before it gets there.

The look on Fiona’s face is murderous, her eyes gleaming behind the loose locks that were once pulled back into an elegant bun. It’s quite possible that she’s ready to kill all four of us in order to keep bio magic contained.

She launches another attack, her movements wild and desperate. While Sebastian and Millie retaliate, Natalie grabs my shoulders and pulls me in.

“We’ll hold her off,” she murmurs in my ear. “Do what you need to do. These padlocks won’t break open under ordinary earth magic.”

I nod and clench my fist, feeling the tug of the gauntlet around my finger. A tremor passes over me.

“The magic will be able to get out of here?” I ask, glancing up toward ground level. “You’re sure the Madsens won’t catch it?”

Natalie nods. “Magic always finds a way to get where it needs to go.”

She steps back, leaving a cool draft where her hands were.